Afterschool activities
Cheerleaders and football players practicing outside a high school in The Sims 4: High School Years
Afterschool activities are part-time hobbies for children and teens in The Sims 3: Generations, The Sims 4: Seasons, The Sims 4: Get Famous, and The Sims 4: High School Years. The Sims 4: Discover University adds afterschool activities for university students.
The Sims 3: Generations[]
In The Sims 3: Generations, children and teens can enroll themselves (or be enrolled by a parent or a guardian) in afterschool activities (also referred to as afterschool classes), either by entering the school or by using a computer.
Once enrolled in an after-school activity, students will spend two extra hours in school, learning a special set of skills. Which days an after-school class meets on depends on whether the student is a child or teen, and (for teens) on which class is taken. Students (or their guardians) can quit the class either by visiting the school or by using a computer.
The after-school activity will end when teen Sims are about to age up. There will be an award ceremony at the school which all of the teens' household members are supposed to attend. They will be given an award which can be found in the Sim's inventory.
For children, after-school activities end well before their birthday and there is also an award ceremony. Once an after-school activity has ended, they will be unable to take the same after-school activity again.
If a Sim has a field trip on the same day as an afterschool activity, they will be excused from that activity and will not be required to attend.
Activities for children[]
There are two classes for children to join. Child Sims who joined one of these classes earn a hidden skill and on every level, they unlock new interactions. There are three levels to these skills.
These classes are on every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 3:00pm to 5:00pm.
Ballet[]
A ballet student showing off her dancing technique
Children who enrolled in ballet will learn ballet techniques which they can show off as an interaction. Continuing the class will result in levels gained and new abilities unlocked. At the end of the third level of the ballet skill, they will graduate and may earn a participation or best-in-class trophy. They can put the trophy at home as a decoration.
They will have a ballet recital at the school in the neighborhood and the students' parents can attend to the recital.
Children gets a hidden skill called ballet skill. There are three levels which each unlocks an interaction.
- Level 1: Show off Plié
- Level 2: Show off Pirouette
- Level 3: Show off Échappé
The hidden Ballet skill will transfer to the hidden Dancing skill once children grow up into teenagers.
Scouting[]
Two boys wearing their scout uniform
Children who are enrolled in scouting will learn the fishing skill. In addition, the child Sim will learn how to tie a knot and salute, both of which are interactions that may be performed on any Sim after learning them. They earn badges which they can show off to other Sims or use as wall decorations. Boys and girls appear to share the same scouting regiment.
Scouting is probably the best of the two after-school activities, as it can easily allow for a child Sim to learn fishing skill level four before finishing school. Either way, after-school activities will result in a happier child with a better foundation of skills for later. The extra time spent is worth the payoff, given that it is only six hours per week.
Children gets a hidden skill called scouting skill. There are three levels which each unlocks an interaction.
- Level 1: Show off Badge
- Level 2: Show off Salute
- Level 3: Show off Tie a Knot
The hidden Scouting skill will transfer to the Gardening skill once children grow up into teenagers.
Note that the salute learned from scouting is not the same as the one gained from going to military school or having a parent high in the military. This means it will not be usable once the child has grown up.
Activities for teens[]
Teen Sims cannot have part-time jobs that have the same time slot as their after-school activities.[1] The only part-time job that does not conflict with any after-school activities is Mausoleum Clerk, as it starts at 6pm and after-school activities usually end at 4pm.
| Icon | Club | Skills Raised | Days | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Art | Painting Sculpting |
S M T W T F S | |
|
Debate | Logic | S M T W T F S | |
|
Drama | Charisma | S M T W T F S | Teens can work as Spa Receptionists, as they have no work on Tuesdays and Fridays |
|
Music | Guitar Piano Drums Bass |
S M T W T F S | |
|
Newspaper | Writing Photography |
S M T W T F S | |
|
Shop | Handiness | S M T W T F S | |
|
Sports | Athletic | S M T W T F S | |
|
Study | Homework | S M T W T F S | Teen Sims would have less homework or no homework when returning home from study club |
At the end of their school, they will have a participation trophy and if so, they might get a top gun trophy. Teen Sims will get an opportunity to go to an awards ceremony to get the trophies. The trophies will be judged on their after-school activities and on how well they did in their classes. Any teen Sims who worked hard in afterschool activities are going to advance faster in careers and master trades earlier in adulthood.
Afterschool activity opportunities[]
There will be several afterschool activity opportunities, especially when the classes are about to end. These opportunities should be initiated manually by clicking on the exact location, or else they may simply drop out of the queue and be missed by the Sim.
The Sims 3: University Life[]
Sims University noticeboard day jobs and stadium collegiate sports are de facto afterschool activities, although Sims cannot commit to having to do them on set days.
The Sims 4[]
In The Sims 4: Seasons and The Sims 4: Get Famous, children and teens can join afterschool activities through their phones, similar to being employed in a career. Teens can't join an afterschool activity and have a part-time job simultaneously, and afterschool activities are unpaid. The Sims 4: Discover University adds two activities for university students, and The Sims 4: High School Years adds four activities for teens.
Sims enrolled in activities will occasionally get texts from friends or family members congratulating them on "landing a sweet new job", since they function similarly to adult careers. Afterschool activities also provide Sims with career rewards, depending on the level they achieve.
Despite the term "afterschool", the soccer team player activity considers Saturday to be a workday, while all High School Years activities consider both Saturdays and Sundays to be workdays.
Activities[]
| Icon | Activity | Skills Raised | Days | Pack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Scout | Depends on badge | S M T W T F S | 
|
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Drama club | Creativity Charisma Acting |
S M T W T F S | 
|
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E-sports competitor | Video gaming | S M T W T F S | 
|
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Soccer team player | Fitness | S M T W T F S |
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Cheer team member | Fitness | S M T W T F S | 
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Chess team member | Logic | S M T W T F S |
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Computer team member | Programming | S M T W T F S |
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Football team member | Fitness | S M T W T F S |
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